Love's Ambition
by keehl86-jeevas87
Summary: What if the girl you loved suddenly came down with a lethal illness and was given only a few years left to live? What if she broke up with you, not wanting you to watch her suffer a terrible death? Just how brokenhearted would you feel? Just how awful would it be to have to go through something like that? Just ask Matt.
1. Sudden Illness

**Disclaimer: We are not the owners of Death Note. It belongs entirely to the rightful author herself.**

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><p><strong>DEATH NOTE<strong>

**Love's Ambition**

**By: Brett and Johnny Wolff**

**CHAPTER ONE – Sudden Illness**

In the lobby of the hospital, Matt is sitting in silence with his elbows propped on his knees and his head down in his hands. On the verge of panic, his mind drifts off to her. Her bright, enchanting smile. Her warm, contagious laughter. Her beautiful, swirling jade green eyes. A single tear slowly trails down his cheek and drips off his chin. Yet somehow, through the chaos of torturous fears racing through his mind, her soft, calming voice shines through the darkness. _Everything will be okay, Matt. Be strong._He wipes his eyes on his sleeve and takes a deep breath, then exhales. He then looks around for a no smoking sign. Not finding one, he pulls out a cigarette and lights it. After a long drag, he holds the cigarette between his fingers, his hand shaking slightly.

Then at last, just as his cigarette burns out, the doctor turns the corner and walks into the lobby. A cold chill surges through Matt's body, and he fears the worst as the doctor approaches. His heart skips a few beats, and he closes his eyes. _Please don't tell me she's dead…_The doctor then sits down next to him and puts his hand on his shoulder.

"What's your name, son?"

"Matt."

"This girl… what's your relation to her?"

"She's my girlfriend."

"Does she have any relatives that I should inform of this?"

"No. Both of her parents died a while back, so she lives with me now. She does have an older brother, but he doesn't live here in L.A."

The doctor smiles compassionately.

"Well Matt, your girlfriend is fine."

The color in Matt's face returns again and he smiles weakly in relief, however his relief is short lived.

"For now."

Matt looks back over at him.

"What do you mean for now?"

The doctor tightens his grip on Matt's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Matt, but… we ran some tests, and unfortunately the diagnosis showed that she has a fatal lung disease. And although she survived this time, she is dying."

The color in Matt's face drains away again, and he feels his heart drop into his stomach. He tightly closes his eyes and clenches his fists.

"I'm sorry, Matt. Really I am."

Matt opens his eyes again after cursing the situation in his head.

"When can I see her?"

"Now, if you'd like. We believe she's stable now. Just take it easy and try not to wrack her nerves, just in case she goes haywire again."

Matt nods, and the doctor leads him to the ER. When Matt walks through the door, he sees her lying in the hospital bed, motionless, with tubes in her wrists and an oxygen mask on, eyes closed. He sits down in the booth next to her and grabs her hand. The heart monitor beeps slowly in tune with her heart, and he watches her with sympathy in his eyes, seeing that she has to breathe through a machine because she can't breathe on her own. Seeing the slightest expression of pain on her face, his eyes water slightly.

Matt sits and waits silently, watching her anxiously for any signs of her stirring. Then at last, his eyes light up with relief as she slowly opens her eyes and weakly looks over at him. Matt smiles at her, worriedly.

"Ryu…" he breathes, relieved. "You're okay…"

Ryu weakly smiles back, but her smile fades again after it drains away the little strength that she has.

"Hey, Matt." she weakly replies.

"How are you feeling?" Matt holds Ryu's hand tightly. "Speak to me…"

"I'm fine, Matt." Ryu nods. But sadly, she can tell by the tone in Matt's voice that he knows. "They told you, didn't they. That I don't have much time left."

Matt tries to hide his pained expression, trying not to show her the hurt he feels inside.

"Yeah." he says, calmly.

However, Ryu can see through Matt's fake calm expression and sees him tearing up ever so slightly, and guiltily closes her eyes.

"Matt… I'm so sorry I scared you like that…"

"Ryu, you probably scared yourself too. This whole thing came out of nowhere, and there isn't any part of that that's your fault."

"I'm still sorry, Matt…"

Matt gently strokes her cheek.

"Ryu, it's okay. I'm just happy that you're alive. That I didn't lose you."

Ryu blushes at Matt's gentle touch. Then, while his hand is still on her cheek, she weakly places her hand over his.

"Matt, this is going to be too hard for us now."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm gonna let you go."

Matt's heart then sinks and almost stops beating, and his expression now displays sadness and confusion.

"But… why?" he asks, deeply hurt.

"I don't want you to have to go through this with me. I just can't do that to you."

"Ryu no, I won't leave you… we've been through everything together, what makes this any different?"

"I just can't put you through this, Matt. I have to let you go."

Matt's voice slightly cracks.

"Ryu, you know I'd go through anything with you."

"Matt, please… you shouldn't have to watch this. I don't want you to watch me suffer." Ryu starts coughing, struggling for air, trying to gather the strength to speak. "I don't want you to suffer with me, it's not fair for you."

"And it's not fair for you to suffer alone! I don't care if I suffer too, I won't let you do this alone!" Matt protests, though with a soft voice, not wanting to stress her out and cause her to get sick again.

Ryu looks at him with confusion in her eyes. "Why…?"

"Why what?" Matt asks, softly.

"Why would you want to go through all that pain with me?"

"Because…" Matt looks into Ryu's deep green eyes pleadingly. _Because I love you,_he says in his mind, though for some reason can't find the words to confess that to her in that moment. "You need me…"

"Matt…" Ryu closes her eyes, stress apparent in her expression. Her heart rate speeds up in reaction, and the heart monitor begins to beep irregularly. "I can't make you go through the grief of all of this… I just can't. Please try to understand."

Matt lowers his head, and his bangs fall over his eyes. Ryu can feel him shaking while he holds her hand even tighter, and the guilt inside her grows heavier. Matt softly pleads with her, almost too quiet for her to hear.

"Please don't do this to me Ryu… please…"

"I'm sorry Matt, but it's for your own good." Ryu replies sadly, a single tear dripping down her cheek.

Ryu's heart rate then dangerously accelerates as both her stress and guilt overwhelm her, and she starts coughing fiercely, spraying several small blood droplets on the inside of her oxygen mask, and unable to breathe as she coughs uncontrollably, she then blacks out with one last gruesome cough and desperate but unsuccessful gasp for air. Matt's vision blurs with tears, and the pain in his throat throbs while he helplessly watches her cough and gasp for air until it makes her pass out. She then lays there, eyes closed and motionless. Swallowing, Matt gently brushes Ryu's hair out of her sweat covered face, and traces her cheek tenderly. Then he goes and gets the doctor and tells him what happened, and the doctor and some nurses rush back in to aid her.

Matt looks back at Ryu one last time from the doorway, then lets out a small sniffle and walks away.

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><p><strong>The characters that we made up in this story include: Ryu, her older brother Roderick, her mother, her stepfather, her real father, her pet fox Todd, and ourselves. That's right, Johnny and I put ourselves, and on occasion our other brother Seth and our sister June, in all of our stories. It's our own personal touch which we agreed upon. We pop in at random times, so keep an eye out for us! =P<strong>

**As our disclaimer, all we own is both the story plot and our own made up characters, while everything else belongs solely to the rightful author of Death Note herself, Tsugumi Ohba. And by the way, in case you didn't know, Ryu's name is pronounced as "ree-you", not "rai-you".**

**The time it takes for new chapters to be uploaded all depends on the number of reviews by the readers. We value your opinions, constructive criticism included, however flames are prohibited. Anyways, the more reviews we get the faster we will upload. So tell us what you think and the next chapter will be up soon! =P**

**-**** Brett & Johnny**


	2. Return Home

**CHAPTER TWO - Return Home**

Matt unlocks his apartment door and goes inside, shutting the door behind him. He slowly sulks into the living room and stands in front of the couch where he had found Ryu collapsed and coughing blood. He stares down with sad eyes at all of the blood that Ryu had coughed all over the couch and floor. He goes to the hall closet, then returns with a rag and spray bottle and begins to clean up the mess. After a while of scrubbing and cleaning, he sets the now bloody rag and spray bottle aside, then sits on the couch where Ryu usually sat and lays his head back against the couch and closes his eyes. He lets out a deep sigh and tries his best to keep it together and be strong, but he eventually breaks and the tears slowly run down.

"This isn't happening..." he says to himself, still shaken from the whole mess of drama. "It can't be happening..."

After a long while, he feels something brush up against his leg and looks down to see Todd, who stares up at him while wagging his tail slowly. Matt picks him up by the scruff of his neck and lifts him onto the couch.

"Ryu's not coming home for a while, boy. She's very sick."

Todd, Ryu's pet fox pup, softly licks under Matt's chin to try and make him feel better, sensing that he's upset and hurting. Matt smiles softly and ruffles the fur on Todd's head, then Todd curls up in his lap. Todd catches the scent of Ryu's blood in the stain on the couch and lets out a small whimper, flattening his ears, and Matt gently strokes his back.

"Ryu's a fighter, Todd. She'll be okay." Matt sighs and glances over at the picture of Ryu sitting in a frame on the couch's end table. He stares at her picture and looks into her eyes as if she were really there with him. "..."

Five days later, late at night, the house phone rings. Matt hadn't slept in the entire five days, so groggy and exhausted, he gets up and answers the phone.

"Hello?" he says, tiredly.

"Hello Sir, is there a young man by the name of Matt there?"

"This is Matt."

"Hi Matt, it's Dr. Johnson at East L.A. Hospital. I'm the doctor you spoke with the other day in the lobby."

Matt listens, concerned.

"How's Ryu? Is she okay?"

"Yes, she's doing fine. She was strong and pulled through. As bad off as she is, she still has fight in her, the poor thing. Anyway, she's actually in good enough condition to check out now, so I thought I'd give you a call to let you know that you can now come and get her and take her back home."

Matt then smiles, relieved.

"I'm on my way."

The doctor smiles.

"Alright, son."

At the hospital, Ryu is sitting up in the hospital bed with her feet hanging over the side of the bed. Dr. Johnson then walks in the room and stands beside her.

"Okay Ryu, I called Matt. He's on his way."

"Thank you."

"No problem at all. I'll have my assistant bring in a wheelchair for you."

Ryu flinches, fear apparent in her eyes.

"Whoa. Stop. What?" she asks.

"What?" the doctor answers blankly, one eyebrow raised.

"You'll get a _what _for me?"

"A wheelchair. I'm sorry, but I don't believe you're quite ready to get back on your feet yet. So, just in case-"

"No." Ryu interrupts, sternly. "I don't need a wheelchair. I can walk fine on my own."

"Ryu, as sick as you are, I think it's best that you stay off your feet and go out in a wheelchair."

"NO. I _don't_ need a wheelchair." She quickly gets to her feet, lightheaded and dizzy, but pulls off showing no expressions of struggle.

"I'm not taking any chances. I don't trust that you're well enough. I'm getting a wheelchair."

"I SAID I do NOT need a god damn wheelchair!" Ryu raises her voice, now frantic with fear.

"Look Ryu, please just cooperate with me."

"NO!"

"Ryu!"

"I'M FINE! I'm not crippled!"

"It's for your own good." The doctor gestures to his assistant nurse. "Go get a wheelchair for her."

"Yes, Doctor."

The nurse leaves the room, and Ryu narrows her eyes at the doctor and lets out a low growl. The doctor doesn't bat an eye, and when the nurse returns Ryu glares at the nurse as she approaches with the wheelchair and points one finger at her.

"If you come any closer to me with that thing I swear to god." Ryu hisses.

The nurse hesitates, and the doctor gives a strict remark.

"Ryu, stop resisting. This isn't even that big a deal, we're only doing this to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

"For the last god damn time, I DO NOT NEED a fucking wheelchair! Stop worrying about me! I don't need your help!"

"This is in your best interest." Dr. Johnson takes Ryu by the arm and pulls her toward the wheelchair, but she jerks out of his grip and tries to run out the door, but Dr. Johnson stands in front of the doorway with his arms spread out, preventing her from escaping. The nurse then grabs Ryu from behind, and on instinct Ryu thrusts one arm backward and elbows the nurse in the face with great force, and as the nurse lets Ryu go and reflexively puts her hands over her now bleeding nose, Ryu quickly grabs the wheelchair that the nurse had brought in and holds it out in front of her as both a shield and a weapon.

"Stay the hell away from me!" Ryu threatens.

Dr. Johnson realizes the trouble that could erupt from this situation, so he hands the nurse a tissue to apply to her bleeding nose and whispers in her ear to go wash up and also to send in any other available doctors as emergency backup. The nurse then quickly leaves the room to go get help, and meanwhile Dr. Johnson tries to calm Ryu down.

"Ryu," he says calmly, slightly raising his hands with caution. "Calm down. We're only trying to help you. Please don't fight, okay? We don't want you or anyone else to get hurt."

"I _said_ I don't need your help." Ryu says harshly, gripping the wheelchair firmly.

"It's not only that, but also the rules. It's strictly required by our policy that if a patient's health is at risk we are to take every precaution necessary to ensure that the patient does not sustain any more injuries or any other health issues."

"How many times do I have to say I'm FINE!"

"Ryu please, don't you realize how sick you are? Your lung disease is very unstable, and any kind of drama or stress can cause you a lot of pain, because high stress will undoubtedly set off a dangerous reaction in your lungs. I've been a doctor for thirty years so trust me, I know what I'm talking about. You need to settle down and take it easy."

Ryu holds the wheelchair up higher, making the doctor take a step back.

"Don't tell me what to do! You are NOT the boss of me, and you are NOT putting me in a wheelchair! SO BACK OFF!"

What Dr. Johnson doesn't know is that Ryu had lost both her mother and stepfather in a car accident when she was 13. Her mother had been driving, her stepdad was in the passenger seat, and her older brother Roderick, who was 19 at the time, was sitting in the back with her. They were all just leaving the local movie theatre after seeing a movie together as a family, laughing and such and each agreeing to how good the movie was, when suddenly a drunk driver seemingly came out of nowhere, speeding at 50 miles an hour on a 30 mile per hour road, and headed straight toward them and hit them head on. The drunk driver was uninjured and fled the scene on foot and was later caught and arrested, however Ryu and her family were not so lucky.

"Ryu, please... put down the wheelchair. Please just let us help." Dr. Johnson pleads, calmly and softly. Ryu refuses, beginning to turn red in the face while her arms begin to shake slightly. She grits her teeth in sadness, anger, frustration, and so many other emotions, and she starts sniffing and tearing up as flashbacks of that one horrible, tragic night race through her mind.

_Ryu, her brother Roderick, and both her parents were all rushed to the hospital. Ryu had been lucky and only sustained minor cuts and bruises and a slight concussion, but the rest of her family were much worse off. Her brother had only one injury, however it was very severe and he was bleeding profusely where the large gash in his leg was. He had to undergo immediate surgery before he bled to death. Sadly, her stepfather was pronounced dead on the scene upon arrival to the hospital. As for her mother, she had slammed headfirst into the windshield of the car the moment they crashed and was instantly knocked out. She had also slammed into the steering wheel as well, and the of the collision of her stomach and the wheel had severely bruised her internal organs. Tragically, the doctors were not able to save her before she bled to death internally._

Ryu couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and she begins to cry.

_The last time she saw her mom was when they were both being rushed to the ER on stretchers. Ryu was the only one who had not been knocked unconscious in the crash, so she had no choice but to watch in horror as the rest of her family were rushed away, fearing that she would lose them all and be left all alone to fend for herself. Ryu glanced frantically over at her mother on the stretcher next to her as they were both rushed through the halls on separate stretchers, side by side. Her mother was covered in blood with her eyes tightly closed and a pained expression on her face._

_"Mom?" Ryu cried, desperately. "Mom, please... answer me! Are you okay? Mom!"_

_Ryu's mother never responded, and then she was separated from her as they were taken to separate ER rooms._

_"MOM!" Ryu cried out desperately with tears in her eyes, but she was never answered. Her mother then disappeared around another corner, and that was the last time she ever saw her mother alive._

_Three days later, Ryu was fully recovered and back on her feet, waiting anxiously to be told that her family was okay. Then, during the night on the third day, one doctor came to Ryu's hospital room while she was lying in the white bed reading a magazine. The doctor sat in the booth next to her bed and gently put his hand on her shoulder._

_"How are you feeling?" he asked._

_"Fine." Ryu replied. "What about my family? Are they alright?" she then asked, greatly concerned._

_The doctor then compassionately informed her that both her parents had died, and that they had done all they could and that he was truly sorry. That terrible news had hit Ryu like a kick in the gut, and she was absolutely devastated. Then the doctor told her that her brother had survived and was going to be okay, however he sadly had to havehis left leg cut off in order for his life to be saved. Ryu begged to see him, and she was taken to the infirmary, where her brother was sitting in a wheelchair with his head down. Ryu rushed over to him and threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest and sobbing uncontrollably in both relief and sorrow._

_"Rod... Mom and Dad... th-they're... they're..." Ryu sobbed, between sniffs._

_"I know." Rod answered softly, gently stroking his little sister's hair, trying to be strong for her because he knew that she was scared and hurting and that she needed him, so he did his best to hold back his own tears and instead put all of his focus into calming Ryu down and comforting her, trying his best to silence her cries with gentle strokes to her hair and rubbing her back softly, protecting her with all of his being in a strong, protective embrace._

Dr. Johnson then notices Ryu's watery eyes and trembling body, and as all the horrific flashbacks overwhelm her she drops the wheelchair and falls to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself and heaving with sobs. The doctor's eyes soften, and he crouches down on one knee beside her.

"Ryu... what's the matter? What are you so scared of?"

"None of your business!" Ryu cries. Ever since the incident with her parents and her brother, she had been terrified of hospitals, stretchers, wheelchairs or anything else that had to do with hospitals at all, because just the sight of them reminded her of that one horrific, tragic night. She just couldn't bear all of those painful memories of the loss of her parents, whom she loved dearly, nor the fact that her brother was now forever crippled, doomed to the confines of a wheelchair for the rest of his life. However, she never was willing to share those kinds of personal stories with anyone she didn't know.

Backup then finally arrives, and three other doctors join Dr. Johnson and surround Ryu. Two of them each grab one of Ryu's arms and carefully haul her to her feet, while she grunts and struggles to wriggle out of their grip.

"Let me go!" she shouts furiously, still crying.

"Ryu, this is your last chance to go willingly." Dr. Johnson says firmly, but gently.

Ryu finally manages to pull free, then lunges forward and punches Dr. Johnson in the face.

"I SAID NO! Do you hear me? NO! I'm NOT getting in that wheelchair and you can't MAKE ME!"

The other three doctors then spring into action before things get out of hand, all three of them tackling Ryu and pinning her down on the hospital bed, trying their best not to injure her in any way in doing so.

Dr. Johnson then fills a syringe needle with a sedative, then takes it over to Ryu's side. Ryu struggles and fights but the other doctors hold her down while Dr. Johnson sticks the needle in her arm and injects her with the sedative.

"NO! Don't put me in that wheelchair! Please! NO!" Tears stream down Ryu's cheeks as she instinctively cries out to her mother, just like she always had in the past whenever she was scared. "Mom! Please help me! Don't let them take me! MOM!"

Ryu continues to sob in fear and cry out desperately to her dead mother, until at last the sedative takes effect and she finally passes out.

Dr. Johnson looks down with sad eyes at Ryu's lingering frightened expression and tear soaked cheeks. His assistant nurse then returns, informing him that Matt has now arrived. Dr. Johnson nods, and he and the other three doctors then carefully lift Ryu's unconscious body off of the bed, then gently set her down in the wheelchair and take her down to the hospital's front lobby, where Matt awaits patiently at the entrance.

_— 3 Hours Later, 12 A.M. —_

Back at their apartment, Matt is sitting loyally at Ryu's bedside, watching her closely. He is absolutely exhausted, this being his fifth night without sleep, but refuses to leave Ryu's side until he knows for certain that she will be alright.

"Mom..." Ryu mumbles in her sleep. "Mom please be alive... Please don't die..."

Matt's eyes soften, and suddenly he notices the dried tear stains on Ryu's cheeks. He stares, slightly confused, and then it hits him. Ryu had shared with him the story of how she lost her mom once before in the past, and he knows that she has been terrified of hospitals ever since. Matt could only imagine the terror and painful memories that she must had suffered in the hospital these past few days. Gently, he reaches out and grabs her hand, gently caressing the top of her hand as a means to comfort her. After a moment of thought as to find any other way to comfort her the best he can, he then begins to sing the lullaby that Ryu's mom had always sang to her as a child, which Ryu had also once taught him.

_"Don't cry, everything will be alright_

_I'll always be there to hold you, and to comfort you_

_Ohhh my sweet baby girl, I love you more than anything in this world_

_Yes it's true I love you, I would even die for you_

_Don't be afraid, I'll always protect you_

_and I'll never let anything harm you..."_

Matt continued the song softly, stroking Ryu's hand tenderly.

_"Ohhh my dear little girl_

_I will always watch over you in life and in death_

_and when my time comes to draw my last breath_

_don't cry, don't be afraid, just know that I'll always be with you_

_Don't cry for me, don't grieve for me_

_Just know that I'm with you always_

_and even when I'm gone, I always will be_

_Don't cry my child, everything will be alright_

_Whenever you miss me, be strong and fight_

_Always remember me, and know that I'm with you_

_and I always will be."_

Matt finishes the lullaby with a gentle kiss to Ryu's hand, and though still asleep, the slightest hint of a small smile spreads across Ryu's lips. Matt smiles down at her lovingly, drying away her tears with his thumb.

"Your mom will always be with you, Ryu." Matt says quietly, gingerly kissing Ryu on the cheek and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "And so will I."

Matt then patiently continues to sit beside her bed, watching over her closely for the rest of the night.


	3. Confessions

**CHAPTER THREE - Confessions**

At last, Ryu slowly opens her eyes. It takes a minute or two for her to take in her surroundings, and then she realizes that she's back home and back in her own bed. She sighs contentedly, relieved that she was finally out of that damn hospital. Having a strange feeling that something was lying across her waist, Ryu looks down to see someone's arm tightly wrapped around her. She raises one eyebrow, and when she feels someone breathe in her ear she looks over to find Matt lying beside her, eyes closed and holding her tightly.

"..." Ryu stares at him, unsure of whether or not he's awake, but when he doesn't open his eyes she assumes that he's asleep. She smiles warmly, turning on her side to face him. She gently places her hand on Matt's collar bone and slowly traces her fingers down his chest. Matt then opens his eyes and looks down at her.

"O-Oh, umm..." Ryu stutters, looking away and blushing. "S-Sorry Matt, I... d-didn't know you were awake."

Matt sees Ryu blushing slightly, and he chuckles.

"Why so embarrassed?"

Ryu bites her lip, and Matt laughs.

"Stop laughing, ughh!" Ryu says through her own little nervous chuckle.

"Aww c'mon, I'm just messin' with ya baby." Matt calls her baby to see if he can milk it a bit more to see what he can get out of it. Ryu's blush darkens, and Matt grins in satisfaction at his little reward. Letting out one final chuckle, Matt pulls her closer to him with a slight tug to her waist. "I'm glad you're okay."

Ryu feels butterflies rising up in her stomach as Matt tugs her up against him, and after her blush fades away again she snuggles up against him and slides one hand under his arm, then wraps her arm around his shoulder and rests her head up under his chin. Both lay there silent for a while, Matt staring off into space and Ryu listening to the steady beat of Matt's heart from where she lay against his chest, until soon Ryu breaks the silence.

"So how long have I been asleep for?" she asks.

"Since midnight yesterday." Matt answers.

"What time is it now?"

"8 pm."

"So... I've been home for a while then?"

"Yeah. Almost a whole day."

"Alright." Ryu yawns lightly. "What time did you wake up today?"

"I never went to sleep."

"You mean you've been up all night?"

"Mm hmm." Matt closes his eyes, nodding.

Ryu grips the collar of Matt's shirt, feeling guilty that she had worried him enough to make him stay up all night for her. She looks up at him with sad eyes, wanting to apologize, but then notices the dark circles that had formed around Matt's eyes. As she studies him closer, it becomes clear to her that Matt has definitely been up for more than just one night.

"Matt... did you sleep at all while I was in the hospital?"

Matt opens his eyes and stares into hers, and through Ryu's eyes he can see that she can tell. Ryu could always see through him whenever he was keeping something from her. She knew everything about him, and had learned to read him like an open book.

"No." Matt quietly admits, knowing it would be pointless to lie to her.

"Why?" Ryu's eyes soften. "Why did you go without sleep all this time?"

"Ryu, I couldn't sleep. I was too worried about you."

"You didn't have to stay awake all just for my sake..." Ryu says guiltily, looking down. "I'm not worth being worried that much for."

Matt opens his eyes again, shocked by her words. He then places his hand under Ryu's chin and lifts her head back up to once again face her.

"Ryu, how could you say that?"

Ryu avoids eye contact, staring down instead.

"Look at me." Matt inches closer to her face, making her look back up at him. "Don't ever, ever think that you're not worth anything. You are a very beautiful, special girl and you mean everything to me."

Ryu blushes again, as Matt's face is now only mere inches away from her own. His shining sky blue eyes stared into hers, and within his eyes shone many different emotions. In them, Ryu sees one particular emotion that she can't quite make out. Something new, that she had never seen before.

"Ryu..." Matt says quietly. "You're worth more than the whole world to me."

Ryu smiles softly, looking down and hiding her blush from him.

"Stop it." she says shyly.

"I mean it, Ryu. I wouldn't trade you for the world. That's how special you are to me."

Ryu rests her head beneath Matt's chin again and sighs contentedly, snuggling closer to him.

"Still, I'm sorry for making you worry so much." she says.

"Forget about it." Matt says softly, running his fingers through Ryu's silky raven black hair. "It wasn't your fault. What matters now is that you're okay."

Ryu nods, closing her eyes, and Matt looks down at her with slight concern.

"You are okay, aren't you?" he asks.

"Yes, Matt. I'm fine." Ryu answers, smiling up at him to reassure him.

Matt smiles back down at her, but notices the slightest hint of worry in her expression. Sensing that something's off, he wonders what's bothering her.

"Ryu, is something wrong?"

"..." Ryu looks back down. "It's just..."

"It's just... what?"

"I'm just worried about how my brother and my dad will react when they find out that I'm gonna... die soon."

"Wait... your dad? Didn't he... you know, die in that car accident?"

"What? No, that was my stepdad that died. My real dad's still alive. Didn't I tell you that before?"

"Oh yeah... right. Sorry, I forgot for a second."

"It be cool." Ryu says, giving him one of her signature goofy smirks.

Matt nods, chuckling lightly. He loved seeing those goofy smirks of hers that always made him laugh.

"You know... I was so upset when Mom divorced him, because I loved him so much. I missed him every day while he was gone, hoping that he would come back and be a part of our family again one day, but that never happened, because... you know."

"Yeah. I know. I'm sorry you had to go through that." Matt says, sympathetically. "I know that must have been hard."

"Don't be sorry. It's alright. Mom still let me and my brother visit him every now and then." Ryu looks down with sad eyes. "But... I just don't know how to tell my brother or my dad that I'm dying... I know that news would crush both of them, and I just don't know if I can bring myself to do that to them..."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that." Matt says. "I called your brother this morning and told him what happened, and he's gonna come down here to L.A. from Seattle to see you."

"What?" Ryu looks up at him, surprised. "You called my brother?"

"Yeah. He knows everything, and he said he'll drive down here by tomorrow."

"Wow... that's a really long drive." Ryu looks slightly to the side, feeling kind of bad. "He doesn't have to come all the way down here just to see me..."

"Well honestly Ryu, if you suddenly found out that your brother was dying you'd rush up to Seattle to see him too, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah... I guess I would. But still, I feel bad for him. I mean, Seattle's at least 1500 miles away, and I bet he'll probably be exhausted by the time he gets down here. Can we at least let him stay here for a few days to rest before he goes back?"

"Sure." Matt nods. "He can stay here for as long as he needs to."

"Alright." Ryu smiles at him. "Thanks Matt."

"No problem." Matt smiles back. "And by the way, I also called L and Mello. They're also gonna come see you sometime tomorrow, since they're both busy today."

"Did you tell them what happened too?"

"No. I just told them that you were very sick, and they said they would come and visit you. I didn't tell them what happened because I wasn't sure if you wanted them to know or not. That's up to you."

"..." Ryu looks down.

"Do you want me to tell them?"

Ryu takes a little time to think about that. L was a good, trustworthy friend of hers, since he was the detective who caught the drunk driver that killed her parents, and through her gratitude towards him she had over time grown rather close to him. So she was fine with Matt telling L about her illness. Mello, on the other hand, she didn't know very well. Though she had encountered Mello every now and then in the past while dating Matt, she didn't know him well enough to feel comfortable with sharing this kind of personal information with him. After a moment in thought, Ryu looks back up.

"You can tell L. L's a close friend and I trust him, so I'm fine with letting him know about it. Just don't tell Mello."

"Okay, but why don't you want Mello to know?"

"Because. I don't know him all that well, and I'm not comfortable with him knowing this kind of stuff. I only share personal things with people that I trust and that I've known for a long time."

"Alright." Matt nods, giving her a soft smile. "I understand. I'll just tell L then."

"Thanks." Ryu smiles back.

"What should I tell Mello though? You know, just in case he asks."

"I don't care, it doesn't really matter. Just make something up."

"Alright then."

Taking a deep breath, Matt slowly closes his eyes. Ryu watches him for a while, her eyes softening with sympathy seeing just how tired and exhausted Matt really looks.

"Matt..." she says.

"Hmm?"

"You look so tired."

"I'm fine." Matt lets out a deep, tired sigh.

"No you're not... Matt you've gone five days straight without sleep, it's very unhealthy for you. You need to sleep, or else you'll wind up in the hospital yourself from exhaustion."

"I don't think I can, Ryu."

"Why not?"

"I have to watch over you and make sure that you're alright."

"Matt I already told you, I'm fine."

"No you aren't. You're very, very sick."

"So what if I am? That doesn't mean that you have to exhaust yourself over me."

"Ryu, please... I just can't." Matt looks down at her and looks into her eyes. "I almost lost you once, and I can't risk letting that happen again... my heart can't take it."

Ryu stares back into Matt's eyes, and then notices him starting to tear up ever so slightly. Ryu's heart softens with hurt seeing him like this, and she tenderly places one hand on his cheek.

"Matt, please stop worrying about me so much... the doctors said that I still have six years left to live. You don't have to worry about losing me for several more years. I'm not leaving you any time soon, I promise..."

Matt closes his eyes tightly, and Ryu tenderly traces her hand down his cheek.

"Matt please, I hate seeing you like this... I promise, everything will be okay. You need to get some sleep before you make yourself sick."

Matt opens his eyes again, and once again Ryu sees that one single emotion that she couldn't identify shining in his sky blue eyes.

"Matt, tell me what's really bothering you." Ryu says, determined to find out what's really behind his strange behavior. "You're not acting like yourself. This isn't like you at all, worrying yourself sick like this. You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

"..." Matt remains silent.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Ryu..." Matt slowly leans in closer to her. "There's something that I've wanted to tell you for a long time."

"What is it?"

"Well... the same night that you got sick, I was gonna take you out to dinner with me and... tell you how I really felt about you. But... then you suddenly got so sick out of nowhere and started coughing blood everywhere, so I freaked out and called 911... and then the next thing I knew, I was being told that you were going to die of a lethal lung disease." Matt tightly closes his eyes. "Those five days that you were in the hospital, I was so terrified... I was scared out of my mind, and my worst fear was that you would die... before I ever got another chance to tell you."

"Tell me what...?"

Matt opens his eyes again, staring deep into Ryu's beautiful, captivating jade green eyes with that same unfamiliar emotion still gleaming in his own sky blue eyes. Matt tenderly grabs Ryu's hand, removing it from his cheek and grasping it tightly as he closes the gap between them, leaning in and pressing his lips against hers. Ryu's eyes widen in shock, and her hand trembles slightly under Matt's grasp. The kiss is no longer than four seconds at most, short yet passionate. Then, once Matt breaks the kiss, Ryu only stares at him wide-eyed while blushing fiercely.

"That I love you." Matt finishes, finally confessing to her.

"..." Ryu has absolutely no idea how to react to Matt's sudden confession. "M-Matt... I... I..." Having no idea what to say, her bottom lip trembles.

Matt only stares back at her nervously, knowing that this was probably awkward for her, since it did come out of nowhere and all. But suddenly, Ryu starts coughing. It starts out small, but progressively worsens, and Matt's eyes widen in fear as he watches her start coughing and gasping for air, just like she had that one horrible night, five days ago.

"Ryu! Are you okay? Ryu!"

Ryu couldn't take the drama, and continues coughing and gasping desperately for oxygen.

"Hang on!" Matt pleads, flying out the bedroom door, through the living room and into the hallway.

He opens the hallway's closet door and frantically ransacks through it in search of the inhaler that Dr. Johnson had given him, instructing him to give it to Ryu right away whenever she had another episode of coughing and gasping in a stressful situation.

At last he finds it, and hurries back into her room and frantically leaps back onto the bed and helps Ryu sit up and use the inhaler before she got dangerously out of hand. After Ryu desperately sucks in the contents of the inhaler before she passes out, she falls back and lays there gasping for a couple more seconds, until slowly but steadily, her breathing returns to normal.

Once it does, she lays still with her eyes closed tightly, her face drenched with sweat. Then, after she regains herself, Ryu takes a deep breath and opens her eyes again. And once her vision clears, she sees Matt staring down at her in a state of panic, tears filling up in his eyes.

"Matt..." Ryu says weakly, barely above a whisper.

Matt then lifts her up halfway, embracing her in a desperate hug.

"I'm so sorry..." Matt sobs, hugging Ryu tightly. "I-I didn't mean... I didn't mean t-to... I'm so sorry..."

Ryu takes one last deep breath of sweet, sweet oxygen, then exhales and wraps her arms around Matt, resting her chin on Matt's shoulder.

"It's okay Matt." she says. "I'm okay now."

"What was I thinking!" Matt scolds himself. "I shouldn't have tugged at your heart strings like that, I should've remembered that too much stress makes you sick..."

"Matt, it's okay..." Ryu says, rubbing his back gently.

"No, it's not okay! What's wrong with me? I'm such an idiot!"

"There's nothing wrong with you, that wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was... I could've killed you..."

"But you didn't."

"Yeah... but..."

"Don't worry, I'm fine now. Please just calm down, okay?"

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Matt gently lays her back down on the bed, then collapses next to her, wrapping his arms around her tightly and pulling her close to him.

"I'm sorry..." he whispers.

"Matt, it was an accident." Ryu places one hand on his chest, caressing it gently. "Just let it go."

Ryu gently rubs Matt's chest as a means to comfort him, and slowly but surely, Ryu's gentle caresses help him to once again calm down. Ryu smiles up at him warmly, and he smiles back down at her lovingly.

"I won't let anything else happen to you from now on." Matt says, placing one hand on Ryu's cheek. "Even if it means going without sleep, I'll do whatever it takes."

Ryu grabs Matt's hand, removing it from her cheek.

"No, Matt. You need to sleep."

"No I don't. Watching over you is more important."

"Matt, stop worrying about me. As long as I'm not stressed out, I'll be fine."

"How do you know that for sure?" Matt asks, concern in his eyes. "How do you know that something else isn't going to happen?"

"Nothing else will happen, I promise. You just have to trust me. I'm not gonna give in to this disease that easily, I still have plenty of fight left in me."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'm positive. I'll be fine. Please just promise me you'll sleep tonight."

"..." Matt bites his lip, sighing with uncertainty.

"Please, Matt."

Matt finally gives in to Ryu's pleading eyes, closing his eyes and nodding.

"Thank you." Ryu then tenderly kisses the pulse point in Matt's neck, and Matt then opens his eyes again and stares down at her, shocked.

"By the way..." Ryu says. "I love you too."

"..." Matt blushes, swallowing nervously. "D-Do you really...?"

"Yes... I do. And I have for a long time."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because... I never really thought you'd ever feel the same way about me. That's why I was so surprised when you told me that you loved me. Besides, you deserve better than me."

"Ryu... there isn't anyone better than you." Matt tenderly kisses Ryu on the forehead. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me, and I wouldn't change it for the world."

Ryu smiles, blushing as butterflies rise up in her stomach.

Meanwhile, in L's apartment room (which by the way L, Misa, Light and Near all live in the same apartment building as Ryu and Matt, except they're all on different floors) L is trying to get Todd, Ryu's pet fox pup, out of his bathroom. Todd is chewing up all of L's toilet paper, and L is shouting at him, steaming with frustration.

"Spit that out! Now!" L shouts, but Todd ignores him and continues chewing and tearing, leaving ripped bits of toilet paper all over the bathroom floor.

Having had enough, L chases Todd out the bathroom door, then shuts the door so that Todd can't get back in.

"Stupid fox." L huffs. But once he turns around, he sees Todd jump up on his couch and start eating the cheesecake which he had left on a plate on the coffee table.

"No! Don't eat that!" L runs over and grabs the plate before Todd eats all of his cheesecake, then places it up on the kitchen counter where Todd can't reach it. He then chases Todd out of the living room, then goes back in and sits down on the couch, grabbing the remote and turning on his TV.

Todd then trots on his black, stubby little paws back into the living room and trots over to L and grabs the bottom of his pant leg in his mouth and begins tugging at L's leg playfully.

"Go away." L kicks his leg, making Todd let go, but then Todd jumps up on the couch and picks up the TV remote in his mouth, tugging it out L's hand and then runs away with it.

"Hey! Give that back!" L shouts, chasing Todd all around the room.

Suddenly, Matt and Ryu both hear someone knock on their front door.

"I'll get it." Ryu says, and Matt nods.

Ryu then gets up and leaves the bedroom and walks into the living room, then goes and opens the front door to find L standing on the other side, with Todd standing beside him.

"Oh, Ryu." L says. "When did you get home?"

"Just last night." Ryu answers.

"Hmm. Well anyway, here's your fox."

Todd then trots inside.

"Why did you have my fox?" Ryu asks.

"Matt had me dog-sit Todd while you were in the hospital, but I came to give him back because he's driving me badonka-donkers."

"What?" Ryu raises an eyebrow.

That said, L then walks away. Ryu watches him walk down the hall, her eyebrow still raised, until L disappears around the corner.

"..." Ryu shrugs, then walks back inside and closes the door behind her.

She then goes back into her bedroom, Todd following close behind her, and lays back down in her bed beside Matt. Todd jumps up on the bed and trots up to her, lying down on her chest and softly licking her face while wagging his small, bushy orange tail.

"Hey, Todd." Ryu giggles, scratching Todd behind his orange, black-tipped ears. "I missed you too, boy."

Ryu then looks over to her side at Matt to say goodnight, but finds that he had finally succumbed to his exhaustion and had drifted off into a deep sleep. She smiles softly, brushing Matt's chocolate brown hair out of his eyes, and as Todd curls up into a fluffy, furry ball on her chest, she yawns and closes her eyes, and soon enough falls asleep herself.

* * *

><p><strong>The time it takes for new chapters to be uploaded all depends on the number of reviews by the readers. We value your opinions, constructive criticism included, however flames are prohibited. Anyways, the more reviews we get the faster we will upload. So tell us what you think and the next chapter will be up soon! =P<strong>

**- Brett & Johnny**


	4. Matt's Secret Uncovered

**CHAPTER FOUR - Matt's Secret Uncovered**

Around noon the next day, Matt is in the kitchen cooking while Ryu is still in bed bored out of her mind, throwing a tennis ball back and forth against the wall and catching it. A few minutes later, Matt walks into her room and goes over to her bedside, setting a bowl of chicken soup, some crackers, and a glass of ice water on her bedside table.

"Here." Matt says. "Eat up."

"Wow. It looks very refreshing." Ryu replies sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Well jeez, someone's grouchy today."

"Ughh. Sorry, I'm just sssoooo bored. Being sick sucks!"

Matt chuckles lightly.

"Aww c'mon, it's not so bad. At least you have an excuse to laze around."

"Easy for you to say. You're not stuck in bed with nothing to do."

"Well what kind of friend would I be to not cheer you up then?"

Matt goes and opens Ryu's closet door, then takes out her bass guitar and brings it over to her, giving her a cheerful smile. Smiling back, Ryu takes her guitar as he hands it to her.

"Thanks." she says.

"No prob. If you need anything else just call."

Matt then leaves, heading through the living room and toward the hall closet to get some cleaning supplies. After gathering everything he needs, he then begins to scope through each and every room one by one to rid their apartment of both its thick layers of dust and its heavy scent of cigarette smoke in hopes of Ryu being able to breathe better as a result. Having great care and concern for her, he is more than willing to do everything he can to help her get better.

After about an hour and a half or so of cleaning, Matt suddenly hears someone knocking on the front door. Setting all of his cleaning supplies down, he then goes and answers the door, where both L and Ryu's brother Roderick stood waiting on the other side.

"Hey guys. Come on in." Matt says, stepping aside to allow his guests entry.

Rod and L both come inside and follow Matt into the living room, where they each sit down on separate couches bordering the small coffee table.

"Long time no see, Matt." Rod says, leaning back against the couch. "How ya been?"

"Good, I guess." Matt replies.

"And Ryu... is she doing okay?" Rod asks, concerned.

"Yeah, she's fine. She's actually doing a lot better now compared to just a few days ago when this whole mess started."

"What exactly happened to her anyway?" L asks curiously.

"Well..." Matt looks down. "Its a long story."

Matt explains to L about everything that had happened over the past several days, and once Matt finishes telling him the whole story, L closes his eyes and shakes his head slowly in sympathy.

"Wow." he says. "What an awful thing to have to go through. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Matt says, solemnly. "It's not your fault."

"And how are you taking all of this?" Rod asks, giving him a serious look, knowing that Matt had feelings for his sister.

Matt lets out a deep breath, then closes his eyes.

"Not so well..." he admits, sadly.

Rod nods slowly, understanding. It stays quiet for a few minutes, until Matt breaks the silence again.

"You guys can't tell Mello about this, alright?"

"Um sure, but why not?" L asks.

"Ryu only wanted me to tell you two because you're both very close to her, but she said she doesn't want Mello to know about it because she doesn't know him as well. She doesn't like sharing personal things with people she doesn't know that well."

"Ahh." L nods. "Alright then, we won't tell him."

"Cool. Thanks guys."

"No problem dude." Rod smiles. "You mind if I go talk to my kid sister for a bit?"

"Go ahead." Matt nods.

Rod then gets up and walks away, heading into Ryu's bedroom and shutting the door behind him, leaving Matt and L alone in the living room. L then notices the multiple cleaning supplies set out on the coffee table.

"Been doing some spring cleaning or something, Matt?" he asks.

"What? Oh, no. I was just trying to dust a little and get rid of the cigarette smell in this place." Matt scratches his arm, looking down. "I just... don't want Ryu to get sick again, so... I just want to help any way I can."

L smiles softly.

"You really do care for that girl, don't you."

Matt nods.

"More than anything."

"Well, as nice of you as that is, it sounds like a lot of work for just one person. You sound like you could use a hand."

"You don't have to help, L. I'm sure you've got your own stuff to do."

"Naw, I don't mind. I may be the world's greatest detective, but I still have more free time to spare than most people think." L grabs some of the cleaning utensils and ruffles Matt's hair as he walks by him. "I'll help ya out kiddo."

Matt rolls his eyes with a grin, then gets up and grabs the rest of the tools and joins L, and the two of them finish up what's left of the cleaning.

Meanwhile, in Ryu's room, Ryu is sitting up in her bed strumming different chords on her bass with Todd playing with a squeak toy at her feet, while Rod sits in a chair beside Ryu's bed.

"So how's my kid sis doin'?" Rod asks.

"Pretty good." Ryu answers, with a smile.

"Good to hear."

Todd wags his tail and happily uffs at Rod.

"Good to see you again too, boy." Rod laughs, petting the top of Todd's head.

Todd licks Rod's hand briefly before returning to playing with his squeak toy.

"So," Rod continues. "What's up? How's life?"

"Pretty much normal, I guess. The only interesting thing going on right now is this whole Kira biz."

"Kira? The world's most wanted mass murderer?"

"Mm hmm." Ryu nods.

"You know, come to think of it... I've heard of him, but I don't really know the inside story to it all that well. What's this whole Kira thing all about anyway?"

"I don't really know that much about it myself. All I know is that whoever "Kira" is has some kind of dark power to kill people from afar without actually confronting them, and that L, Mello, Matt and Near are all after him. Although, none of them will let me have anything to do with it, which I don't really understand, but whatever."

"They're probably just trying to protect you Ryu. I mean, after all he is the most world-renowned mass murderer, Kira. Not to mention the entire world is terrified of him."

"Psh." Ryu rolls her eyes. "I'm not scared of him."

Rod smirks, shaking his head half in amusement, yet half in concern.

"You always were brave, Ryu. That's no question. But remember, you shouldn't confuse the words brave and reckless. It's one thing to be brave, but it's another to just be plain reckless. Kira is a coldblooded serial killer who's killed hundreds of people, and wouldn't hesitate for an instant to kill again. It's important to not let your guard down."

"I know, I know." Ryu nods. "Don't get me wrong, I know what he is. But even still, I don't care what he is, mass murderer or otherwise. I'm still not scared of him."

"I don't doubt that. But still, just be careful okay?"

Ryu nods in response, strumming another chord on her bass again.

While Rod and Ryu continue their talk, Matt and L decide to pause cleaning for a food break, grabbing some snacks from the kitchen cabinets and then sitting down in the living room to eat. Not too much later, a new visitor knocks on the door. Matt answers the door, knowing that it's Mello, and lets him in. Mello then joins Matt and L in the living room, sitting down and propping his feet up on the coffee table.

"So, what happened?" he asks the two. "What'd Ryu end up in the hospital for?"

Matt and L both look at each other for a minute, silently nodding in agreement to make something up at Ryu's request, then they turn back to Mello.

"She came down with a very bad case of pneumonia." Matt answers.

Mello just nods in response, and Matt tosses him a chocolate bar from his and L's pile of snacks.

"Matt told me everything, by the way." Rod continues.

"I know." Ryu replies, solemnly.

"Ryu... you don't have to die this way. Dad and I could pay for you to get a lung transplant."

"Rod, there's no way either of you would be able to afford that."

"Well... we could still work something out, I mean... maybe Dad and I could each pay half of the cost or something."

"Still, even if you did that, a transplant would cost at least 50 thousand dollars, Rod. You and Dad would still both have to come up with at least 25 thousand dollars each. And I know there's no way either of you would be able to come up with that much money in time."

"That doesn't mean we can't still try."

"Rod, please..."

"No Ryu, if there's any kind of chance at all out there that we can save your life, we'd be more than willing to sacrifice for you. We're a family, and that's what families do. They watch out for and take care of each other."

"I understand Rod, but..."

"But what?"

Ryu sighs deeply, closing her eyes.

"Look, I know you and Dad love me and that you just want to help, and I love you guys too and I do understand. But I only have six years left to live. I'm telling you, there's no way that you and Dad could each save up 25 Grand in just six years. You would both go bankrupt just trying to, and I just can't do that to you guys. I don't want you two to end up homeless all just for my sake."

"Yeah, but..." Rod tries to protest, however nothing comes to mind, because he knows she's right. He sighs, lowering his head in sorrowful defeat. "But Ryu... aren't you scared?"

Ryu takes a minute to think about that.

"Honestly, no." she finally answers. "I'm not scared to die. Never have been. But... I am scared of whether or not everyone I'm leaving behind will be alright without me... especially Matt."

Rod studies her closely, seeing guilt apparent in her expression as she gazes down with sad eyes.

"You really love him, don't you." Rod asks, though it's really more of a statement than a question.

"I love him more than anything, Rod." Ryu admits. "And I know he loves me too, and that's why I hate myself for what I did to him."

"Why _did_ you break up with him? I mean, it's just... I'm kind of confused, because you guys had been dating for two years, at least. You guys had it so good, what happened? Why did you do it?"

"I had to. I just couldn't make him go through watching his girlfriend die an awful death. So I had to let him go."

"Oh." Rod nods slowly, somewhat understanding her reasons. "I can understand that, but... are you sure it was the right thing to do? Matt's very upset and hurt, you know. He's taking it real hard."

"I know... and that's why I hate myself for it. But if I didn't let Matt go... and he had to lose me to a deadly disease as his girlfriend... it would break his heart even more than if I were just his friend. Maybe not by much, but even still I just want this to hurt him as little as possible, even if it means letting him go. I just... want him to understand that I'm only doing this because I love him..."

"I guess I see what you mean." Rod says, looking down. "I'm sorry this is so hard for you guys... I just wish there was something I could do to help."

"It's okay, Rod. Don't be sorry."

"If I could take all the pain away from you I would." Rod says softly, looking up at her with sad eyes.

"I know." Ryu answers, giving him a warm smile.

"Ryu, Dad and I will both be here for you every step of the way, until the very end." Rod declares. "For that matter, so will the rest of the family. Because that's what families are for. We're all here for you little sis."

"Thanks, Rod." Ryu smiles softly, wiping a single tear out of her eye.

"So, how goes it?" Mello asks, taking a bite out of his chocolate bar. "What's up with you two?"

"Not much." Matt replies.

"I've had no leads on Kira lately. So everything's pretty much at a standstill right now." L answers next. "How 'bout you?"

"Same here. No leads." Mello sighs deeply. "I'm bored out of my mind back home."

"Looks like boredom is contagious lately." Matt jokes, and Mello and L both nod, agreeing.

Rod then finally emerges from Ryu's room, returning once again to the living room and joining the trio.

"Mello, L" he says, sitting down beside Matt. "Ryu said you can go in to see her now."

Mello, having never met Roderick before, studies him curiously.

"And you are?" Mello asks.

"I'm Roderick, Ryu's older brother." Rod answers. "Just call me Rod."

"How come I've never met you before? Do you live around here?"

"No, I don't. I live up in the Rocky Mountains up in Seattle."

"You look like you're at least in your mid 20s." L pipes in. "How much older are you than Ryu?"

"I'm six years above her. She's 19, and I'm 25." Rod answers.

"Ahh... well then, that makes you just five years under me then."

"So you're 30?"

"Yep." L nods.

"Really? You look a lot younger than that."

"Yeah, people tell me that a lot."

Rod turns back to Mello.

"Your name's Mello, right?" he asks. "Ryu hasn't told me much about you. Are you a friend of hers?"

"We're more of just acquaintances. We don't see each other that much."

"Ahh. Okay."

L then stands up and heads toward Ryu's room.

"Come on, Mel." he says as he passes by Mello, who gets up and follows him, and they both walk into Ryu's room for a short visit.

Rod then takes note of all the snacks laid out on the coffee table.

"May I?" he asks, politely.

"Go ahead." Matt nods.

Rod picks a Kit Kat bar out of the pile of snacks, then notices all the cleaning supplies also set out on the table.

"What's with all the cleaning stuff?"

"I was just dusting a bit and trying to clean the cigarette smell out of this place. I figured it would help Ryu breathe better. I was actually about to get back to cleaning, cus I'm not quite done yet."

"If you want I could help you out with that." Rod offers.

"Sure, if you want. But you don't have to."

"It's cool. I don't mind."

"Alright. Thanks."

"No problem."

After they each finish eating their snacks, Rod and Matt both grab some of the supplies on the table and pick up cleaning where Matt and L had previously left off.

Ryu smiles at L and Mello.

"Hey L, hey Mello." she says.

"Ryu." Mello acknowledges her with a nod.

"Hey there, girl." L greets her, smiling. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good." Ryu sighs, strumming more chords on her guitar. "I'm just bored."

"Well, that's one of the downsides to being sick." Mello says.

"Tell me about it." Ryu huffs, rolling her eyes.

"But hey, the upset is that you can laze around and have people do your work for you and serve you whatever you want _whenever _you want." L adds, giving her a wink and a smirk.

Mello chuckles at that to himself, and Ryu laughs lightly.

"I guess that's true." she says.

Todd uffs at L and Mello, wagging his bushy orange tail, black-tipped ears perked up.

"Hey boy." L smiles, scratching Todd behind the ears and allowing him to lick his hand.

Todd then turns his attention to Mello and yips at him, making digging motions on the bed with his black-tipped paws in a playful manner.

"Hey, furball." Mello says, though doesn't pet him.

"Remind me again, where did you get a pet fox from?" L then asks.

"Well, my brother found Todd in his backyard one morning." Ryu answers. "He lives up in the Rockies back in Seattle, and I guess foxes live in the woods in those mountains. Anyway, when Rod first found Todd he had a broken arm, and since he was just a pup and his mother was nowhere to be found, Rod took him in and wrapped up his arm and nursed him back to health. Then when Matt and I drove up to Seattle to visit Rod, I saw Todd for the first time and thought he was the most adorable thing ever, and since I loved that little fluff ball so much Rod let me keep him and Matt and I brought him back home with us."

L just nods in response, and Mello takes notice of the bass guitar in Ryu's hands.

"I didn't know you played guitar." he says.

"Yeah." Ryu replies. "I play the saxophone and trumpet, too."

Mello smirks.

"Musical, are you?"

Ryu nods.

"Yep. It's one of my passions."

"Cool." Mello grins, then turns and heads for the door. "I'm gonna head out, guys. I've got some things I need to take care of. Catch ya later."

"Alright." Ryu and L both answer.

"Hope you feel better." Mello adds, giving Ryu a quick glance, then walks out and says goodbye to Matt and Rod before leaving the apartment.

"Thanks for stopping by to see me." Ryu smiles.

"Of course, kiddo." L smiles back. "You take care now, ya hear?"

Ryu nods, and after giving her one last smile, L then leaves her room and heads back into the living room. Still having a bit of free time on his hands, L jumps in and helps Matt and Rod finish up what's left of the cleaning.

Once the trio finish everything up, Matt puts all of the cleaning supplies back in the hall closet, and he, L, and Rod all sit down in the living room once again and relax.

"Hey Rod." Matt says.

"Hmm?" Rod answers.

"Since it took you at least 18 hours to drive all the way down here, Ryu and I will let you stay here for the rest of the week and rest before you go back home, if you want."

"Sure. Thanks, I appreciate it."

"No problem."

"Hey Matt, now that Mello's gone," L begins to ask. "do you mind if I ask what particular disease Ryu has?"

"We don't know." Matt answers. "Strangest thing actually, the doctors weren't able to identify it. They said that it might even be a new discovery all together."

"Really?" L asks, surprised by this.

"Are you serious?" Rod adds, surprised as well.

"Yeah." Matt nods. "And because it's a disease that's never been seen before, there isn't any way to treat it. All that the doctors were able to figure out was that it is deadly and will kill Ryu in only six years."

L shakes his head slowly with sincere sympathy.

"That really sucks." Rod states, sadly.

"Yeah." Matt looks down, his sky blue eyes clouded with sadness.

It stays silent for a few minutes, until suddenly something catches Rod's eye. Looking over in its direction, he notices a small, black jewelry box sitting on the couch's end table. Curious, he picks it up and flips it open, finding a small diamond ring inside. _Is this...? _Having suspicions, he questions Matt about it.

"Matt, what's this ring for?"

L glances at the small object in Rod's hands, and then he as well looks over at Matt with curiosity.

Seeing that Rod had found that ring, Matt's eyes widen. Nervously, he scratches his arm and looks down. He had not expected anyone to find that. He thought he had hidden it...

"I..." Matt reluctantly decides to confess, now that he's already been caught anyway. Sighing, he looks back up. "It's an engagement ring. I was... going to ask Ryu to marry me the same night that she got sick."

Rod and L are both completely surprised by this, Both of them had no idea that Matt and Ryu had made it that far. Rod studies Matt closely, his expression turning serious.

"Matt... do you really love my sister that much?" he asks.

"Yes. I do..." Matt admits.

Rod then looks down at the ring, studying it closely.

"Does Ryu know about this?"

Matt looks to the side.

"...No." he answers, quietly. "I mean, it's just... I'm really not sure how exactly to go about telling her."

"Why don't you just be honest with her?" L suggests.

"Well, I... I'm just scared that she'll get sick again."

"What do you mean?" L asks.

"The doctors said that Ryu's lungs would act up and make her sick whenever she's under extreme stress. So... when I confessed to her last night that I loved her, she started coughing uncontrollably and struggling to breathe, and that scared me because it sounded just like how she was coughing on the first night that all of this started." Matt guiltily closes his eyes. "It was all my fault, and I felt so awful that she got sick again because of me... and I just don't want to risk doing that to her again."

L's eyes soften in sympathy, beginning to realize just how hard this really must be for both Matt and Ryu.

"Well... if that's the case, my advice would be to let Ryu rest a few more days to recover her strength." Rod advises. "Then once she seems well enough to handle it, you should tell her then."

"I don't know..." Matt looks back down. "She already broke up with me. Even if I tell her now, it won't matter... it's too late."

"Matt, it's never too late." Rod says. "You love her, don't you?"

"Of course, more than anything in the world."

"Then you need to face your fears and just tell her. And yes, telling her now might not change anything, but at least you'll have closure."

"I agree with Rod." L says. "Matt, if you really do love Ryu more than anything, then you need to tell her this."

"Yes." Rod nods. "Even if nothing changes, if you tell her you will at least have closure knowing that she knows that you loved her enough to want to marry her and spend the rest of your life with her." Rod gives Matt a reassuring smile. "And who knows? Maybe she will change her mind."

Matt's eyes light up a little hearing this, a small light of hope rising within him.

"But you'll never know unless you tell her."

Matt thinks long and hard about this, silently going through all of his options and their outcomes, and finally, after a long silence, he speaks up.

"Okay." he says. "I'll tell her."

Rod and L both smile.

"Don't worry kiddo. Everything will work out." L says, then stands up. "Well I'm gonna run, you guys. See ya around."

"Alright." Matt and Rod both answer.

L then leaves the apartment, closing the front door behind him.

"Anyway," Rod continues, turning back to Matt and giving him and encouraging smile. "Give Ryu a few more days to rest first. Then tell her."

Matt nods in response, smiling back.


End file.
